“It’s two torpedoes coming at each other” - Jarred Brooks predicts a wild world title showdown vs. Gustavo Balart
Jarred Brooks expects "fireworks" when he and Gustavo Balart meet in Friday's ONE Fight Night 24 main event.
In March, Brooks was disqualified in his rematch against Joshua Pacio due to an accidental illegal slam, crowning the latter as the new ONE strawweight king. Pacio later suffered a torn ACL, eventually postponing their inevitable third meeting.
ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong decided to keep the division active by booking Brooks and Balart for an interim world title fight on August 2. The top contenders have gained a reputation for being high-paced grapplers, which should make for an entertaining matchup later this week.
During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Jarred Brooks compared himself and Balart to "two torpedoes" by saying:
"It’s two torpedoes coming at each other making fireworks. We’re looking to take each other’s head off.”
ONE Fight Night 24 represents the promotion's latest event inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
Friday's showcase featuring Jarred Brooks vs. Gustavo Balart can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Jarred Brooks battles for undisputed title shot against Joshua Pacio
Jarred Brooks and Gustavo Balart are aware of the threat they face at Friday's ONE Fight Night 24.
With that said, both strawweight MMA contenders are focused on utilizing this main event matchup to secure an undisputed title shot against Joshua Pacio once he returns from his recovery process.
If Balart emerges victorious, he will face Pacio for the first time. Meanwhile, Brooks' meeting with 'The Passion' would have added stakes, as they each hold a win.
'The Monkey God' defeated Pacio for the ONE strawweight world title in December 2022 before the latter regained the throne by disqualification.
Earlier today, Balart failed the hydration test for ONE Fight Night 24, making him ineligible to win the interim strawweight strap. Nonetheless, a win against Brooks would most likely set up the matchup against Pacio in late 2024 or early 2025.